


Pride and Sensibility

by MayumiSato



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-15 11:49:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20865734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayumiSato/pseuds/MayumiSato
Summary: Being one of the many children of a poor knight, all that Alice wanted was a job that paid well but working for an Earl’s spoiled only daughter isn’t an easy task. – Written by Mayumi Sato and illustrated by Ixie Pixie for the usukustwiceperyear 2019.1 event.





	Pride and Sensibility

**Author's Note:**

> Especial thanks to Ixie Pixie for helping me revising the text and for making a lovely image to go along with this fic! You're very talented and such a nice person!

_De_ _ar Miss Kirkland, _

_I’m the daughter of Earl Jones and this letter comes from the lovely property of Norshire. Sorry for frightening you with an abrupt letter from someone you have never spoken to in your life. You see, I have heard very well about your work as a tutor from a number of trusted sources and, therefore, decided to contact you to offer you a job opportunity._

_The job that I’m offering is a little different than what you are used to and I will understand if you refuse it. Instead of teaching the basics to a little girl, you will be helping me to improve my painting and piano skills and teach me the art of fencing, in which I was informed that you have great talent. In return, I offer you a generous payment plus a private room in my mansion during the three months you will be working here._

_Due to circumstances that I will explain later, I don’t have much time to waste. If you accept my offer, I would like you to arrive here until next week. Please send an answer as soon as possible so that appropriate arrangements for your stay are made._

_Best regards, _

_Amelia Fairfax Jones_

* * *

Lady Amelia Fairfax Jones, 20 years old, was only four years younger than Alice Kirkland. She was happily engaged, had a decent reputation, and was her father’s only heir. Someone destined to an extravagant life – that was the person Alice would work for. 

Alice felt the need to once again read the letter in her hands before knocking on the door of the earl’s mansion. Being the daughter of a knight with way too many children, she still could barely believe that she was going to work for such an important family. Even the door to the mansion where Lady Jones lived was fancy, made with rare wood. A cup of that place would probably be enough to get her family in debt for a year.

A little after she knocked on the door, a lady about her age in a puffy and expensive-looking dress came to receive her. By the look of her clothes, Alice presumed that she was Lady Amelia Fairfax Jones herself.

“Hello!” she waved at Alice.

Her eyes were very blue and very bright. Her curly hair, though stuck in a bun, looked a bit messy. She was quite pretty, Alice noticed, although she made a conscious effort to not notice it too much. Instead, she thought of how the laid-back look of this young woman didn't match her title. If it weren't for her expensive dress, Alice wouldn’t assume she was the heiress of that family.

“… Lady Jones?” she checked out just in case. It was a bit odd for the mistress to have come to receive her instead of one of the servants.

"Ah yes! Sorry for not introducing myself!” she slapped her forehead. “I'm Amelia Fairfax Jones! You can just call me Amelia!”

“Lady Amelia...” Alice bowed to her.

"Lady Jones held up her hands, preventing Alice from completing the sentence.

“Just Amelia is enough!”

Alice arched an eyebrow, staring at Lady Jones as if she had spoken in riddles. The idea of treating an Earl’s daughter with such informality was something almost inconceivable.

“Miss Amelia, then?” she tested it out, not wanting to completely disobey her client’s orders.

Miss Jones let out a sigh, looking slightly disappointed.

“We can talk about it later. Come on in! We have much to discuss!” she wrapped her arms around Alice's shoulders. That sudden physical contact made Alice so startled that she almost dropped her suitcase. “Oh, is this your luggage? Let me take ...!”

Just then, a maid (who had apparently been listening to the conversation all this time) rushed in front of her and picked up Alice's suitcase before Miss Jones had a chance to do so.

“Milady, please! This is my job!"

Up to this point, Miss Jones was looking like one of those protagonists in romance novels who don't want to be defined by their social classes. Alice somehow expected that she would react with a ‘No, I insist! Please, get some rest!’. Miss Jones, instead, accepted the offer without hesitation. "Ah, great! Please take this luggage to her room!", she said. While Miss Jones wasn’t a snob, she also didn’t ignore the privileges of her position.

Shortly after the maid left, Miss Jones began leading Alice around the house. She told her to follow her to a private room. While she walked along the wide corridors, Alice couldn't disguise how strange it was for her to see the mansion's architecture, with its high ceiling, all the decorative objects in its hallways, the servants running around and the generations of Jones family watching her from the paintings on the walls. Miss Jones laughed at her dumbstruck face.

The room they settled in, like the rest of the mansion, was too large, and the fact that it had only two sofas and a small coffee table made this impression worse, making the whole space seem excessive.

At first, Alice felt a lot more comfortable when she and Miss Jones finally were alone and she was able to focus more on her student than on the grand environment she was in. Then, there was a small, uncomfortable moment of silence between them as they sat in front of each other. Uncomfortable for Alice, at least. Miss Jones seemed quite excited. She couldn't stop smiling, swinging her legs and looking at Alice like she saw a new toy she had to wait to use.

Be professional, Alice. Just because she is the daughter of an earl and doesn’t act like it, that doesn’t mean that you can act as lost as a Portuguese vessel.

“Lady Jones...”

“Amelia.”

“Miss Amelia,” Alice fixed her mistake and put on her best professional smile. It was time to make a good impression. “I would like to say that, while it is unusual for me to work with someone your age, I think it is an excellent thing for a young woman to seek to improve her education. It’s quite impressive and commendable of you that you are only doing this for the pleasure of evolving as a person rather than under the orders of your parents or husband.”

Miss Jones, for whatever reason, didn’t take her flattering words very well. She crossed her arms over her chest with a grave expression that made Alice wonder if she had accidentally said something that she shouldn’t.

"My goal isn’t something as noble as evolving as a person,” Miss Jones told her.

Oh! Maybe she did receive orders from her parents to get classes.

“I apologize for assuming...”

"My goal is to defeat an enemy," Miss Jones clarified and, surprisingly, she didn’t look like someone who was joking.

"What did you say?" Alice asked politely, blinking fast and keeping the polite smile firmly stuck on her face. Miss Jones couldn't have said what she thought she heard, right?

"To defeat an enemy!" Miss Jones repeated, outraged, pounding her fists on the coffee table. “I was the victim of a great injustice. A terrible injustice. Possibly one of the worst injustices a human being can experience. Would you like to hear about my tragedy?!”

Alice was perplexed, her mouth was ajar in shock, and she could only nod.

Miss Jones got up and took a breath. She folded her arms behind her back and began to circle the room, pensive as a general before the battle.

“I have a childhood friend named Elton Ford. His family has a parish near here. He always was a good boy. He is shy and easily scared, which is very adorable of him, so I decided to marry him when we were ten. Despite our differences in status, I was able to convince my parents that it would be nice to marry someone who lived nearby and our engagement was arranged by our families. About three years ago, Elton went to law school in London and two months ago he sent me a letter saying he wanted to cancel the marriage. He said he met a woman named, urgh, Beatrice Wellsmith. Beatrice…” she made a disgusted face as she repeated the name. “Who's named Beatrice? Only a really nasty person has such a name. Anyway, he said this Beatrice is a very smart woman who is an amazing painter and pianist and that she knows fencing because she is, oh, so perfect...”

Alice was beginning to see where this story was going.

"Anyway, he said he'll marry this Beatrice Wellsmith after he graduates, which will happen in three months. He'll be back and have a ball to celebrate his graduation and announce their engagement to everyone ..." Miss Jones explained the final details and sat back down.

"Well, I'm very sorry..."

"Of course, I can't let that happen," Miss Jones stated, placing an arm over the couch, in a position similar to a tyrant empress. “I have to impress him at this ball, Alice. I have to show him that I have everything this Beatrice has and more.”

“Uh...”

"After he sees how brilliant I am, he'll reject her and announce OUR engagement!" Miss Jones exclaimed with a raised fist and a practically villainous air. She looked like she was going to start to evil laugh at any moment.

She was supposed to be the victim of this situation, wasn’t she?

Alice was at first tempted to warn Miss Jones that this seemed like a waste of time and effort. From her point of view, Miss Jones was being naive. Possibly she had never truly fallen in love in her life and didn’t know that a gentleman’s heart wouldn’t change simply because his former bride had learned to play the piano better or something similar. Not to mention that Mr. Ford didn't even seem to have been interested in the marriage from the beginning. His feelings on the matter were never considered.

The thought of how much she would be paid for that job was the thing that made Alice bite her lips and stop herself from giving that rational advice. She wasn’t in a position to refuse the money.

“I'd be happy to help you with that, Miss Jones.”

“Amelia. And do you really think so?”

"I have no doubts that I can help you learn what you want," Alice assured her, confidently. She truly had no doubts about that. Her doubts lay solely on whether that would make a difference in Mr. Ford's choice.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Miss Jones, exhuming gratitude from every pore, approached her and took her hands, very moved. "I knew you would understand my feelings!"

Alice was once again a little taken aback by the physical contact. She wasn’t used to being so intimate with her clients. However, she had to concede that there was genuine warmth in Miss Jones’s smile and the touch of her hands, which made the interaction not too unpleasant. 

“No problem, Lady Jo… Miss Amelia. I will help as much as I can in the coming months. 

Alice had a feeling that she would prove to be a very interesting student.

* * *

By Miss Jones’s orders, two days passed before their lessons began. Alice had time to settle into the mansion, arrange her belongings in her new room, and meet the other members of the Jones family; that is, just the Earl and his wife.

It was a sunny Wednesday when one of the maids knocked on her bedroom door to warn Alice that Miss Jones was waiting for her in the study room. Alice put on a dress, grabbed some sheet music, painting materials, and immediately headed there.

Miss Jones was already sitting at the piano when Alice arrived. She was wearing an expensive, puffy dress and her hair was a mess. Apparently that was her style.

“Alice! I’m so glad you finally arrived!” The young woman exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly. “I look forward to becoming the next Mozart!”

Alice was barely able to avoid rolling her eyes.

"Hello, Lady... Miss Amelia." she smiled politely. "Am I allowed to sit next to you?"

"Of course!" she made a gesture indicating a small stool next to hers. "You don't have to be so formal with me."

"As you wish, Miss Amelia." Alice agreed only to please her, sitting carefully at her side by the piano. “Before we start the lesson, I'd like to see your skill level. Is there any piece you know how to play?”

“I know how to play a couple of pieces, yes.”

"May you play your favorite one for me, please?"

Miss Jones took a deep breath, stretched her arms, positioned her hands, and began playing French Suite No. 5 in G minor from Bach. Despite the composition being a bit old-fashioned, Miss Jones played it very well, like a true connoisseur of Bach's work. The sounds were clear and very well balanced. She knew how to take advantage of the composition pace, which was a little faster than Bach's other suites, and make an exciting and flawless surrender. Honestly, Alice was a little surprised! She didn’t expect this level of competence from a lady who seemed so clumsy in her manners and hairstyle.

"Lady Jones, you already seem to know how to play the piano!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I like the piano and usually practice it a lot. My problem is that I only know how to play songs by composers from centuries ago. Playing Bach is no longer that impressive.” Amelia lamented, legitimately putting herself down, instead of just trying to appear modest. “I need something modern. I've heard of a successful pianist lately who is so good that he made Countess Marie d'Agoult leave her husband to be with him...”

"Franz Liszt?" Alice questioned. Liszt was a virtuoso, no doubt, but also a controversial figure, both in his art and in his private life. It would be more appropriate for Miss Jones to try to learn something from Schumann or Mendelssohn.

Yet, Miss Jones's enthusiasm had been completely piqued by this scandalous composer.

"Yes!" Amelia pointed at her. “This is something I need! Something modern and impactful that makes someone leave their fiancé! Teach me how to play one of Liszt’s compositions!”

Oh, dear.

“I wouldn’t recommend it. Liszt's compositions are very difficult to play, Miss Amelia.”

"I don't care. The harder, the more impressive. That's what I want.” Miss Jones insisted, making an annoying show of stubbornness which foreshadowed the fact that she would be a difficult student. "Now, show me a composition of his so I can learn it."

Alice decided to play _Au bord d'une source_, part of a series of suites called _Years of Pilgrimage_. It was a complex piece, far more unpredictable than Bach's works. She hoped that would make Miss Jones give up on Lizst.

Miss Jones paid intense attention to her, watching the presentation in silence, seeming to be careful not to even breathe too loudly. Alice could feel her gaze carefully following her fingers no matter how fast they went.

In the end, when the silence returned to the room, Miss Jones put a hand over her heart and sighed. She had a graceful smile on her face, one much more serene yet much more beautiful than anything Alice saw before.

"I love it. That's what I'd like to play.”

"In this case, I’ll start by showing you the best position for your fingers when you're playing certain parts," Alice informed her with slightly red cheeks. 

Having to teach such a complex composition was bad news for Alice, but after such a reaction, how could she say no?

* * *

That afternoon, during painting class, Alice asked to see some of Miss Jones's drawings before they started. She received only a few incomplete still life drafts that couldn’t really be evaluated. The only thing that could be concluded from them was that, clearly, Miss Jones wasn’t as fond of painting as she was of music.

"When was the last time you practiced?" Alice asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"About nine years ago?" Miss Jones tried to remember, rubbing her chin.

... 

Without saying a word, Alice began placing her painting materials in front of Miss Jones. They would have a lot of work ahead and they needed to get started right away.

* * *

That night Alice could barely sleep, such was the extent of her anxiety. Her student had a Liszt composition to learn, nine years of drawing practice to make up for and, on top of that, there were the fencing classes.

Alice Kirkland had received her fencing lessons from her older brothers and, in all those years, she had never passed on her knowledge or dueled with anyone outside her own family. It hadn’t been a good idea to let her first fencing student be the daughter of an earl who needed to learn this to duel with her rival in love in three months. Now, Alice had to think of ways to make training extra-safe. She feared that if she accidentally hurt Miss Jones, she would be thrown into a secret mansion dungeon. Yes, that's right, because in Alice's head every mansion that size had to have a dungeon where the owner could throw their enemies.

Unfortunately, the next day, before Alice could even have the slightest hope that Miss Jones would forget the idea of taking fencing lessons, Miss Jones told her during breakfast that she wanted to have a fencing class right after their meal.

Alice’s new student appeared to be very excited with the perspective of handling a sword. On their way to a secluded spot in the outside of the mansion, she kept talking about the cavalry novels she'd read and how excited she was to become a swordsman… Her face of disappointment in receiving a broomstick instead of a glorious sword for her training was incredibly obvious.

"What's this?" she asked in frustration, looking with utter contempt at the poor object in her hands.

"I thought it would be good if you trained how to position your body properly before I handed you a sword, mistress," Alice answered honestly, before adding with her business smile and a carefully prepared flattering tone. “Although I’m certain that you would do a good job if I gave you a sword now, it will be way more impressive to see what you can do if you practice your stance first!”

“This is a bit boring...” Miss Jones grumbled, not entirely convinced.

Alice could see how such an upset face on such a beautiful woman would be able to convince anyone to make anything for her. Luckily, she had developed a resistance to childish appeals throughout her years as a tutor.

“If you just try, you might find some fun in it. 

Miss Jones wasn’t pleased but she went along with Alice’s instructions. She kept practicing the right position to wield her broomstick until lunchtime. It was clear she wasn't having as much fun as she expected and she kept mumbling to herself about it. A pity for her, really, Alice thought, while still delicately and politely correcting her mistakes and adjusting her posture.

* * *

Before she knew it, Alice realized that her first month at Norshire was over. Time passes in the blink of an eye when there’s a deadline to meet.

They hadn’t made much progress since the first classes. After the initial enthusiasm for a new routine, Miss Jones became very lazy and proved to be a difficult and stubborn student. She didn’t do much in drawing lessons, didn't listen to Alice's recommendations in piano lessons, and made excuses for skipping the fencing lessons.

Urgh, if Miss Jones were a child, Alice could force her to sit still and pay attention to her classes. Unfortunately, even though Miss Jones behaved like a child, she couldn’t be treated like one. She was a grown woman who was paying for Alice’s services.

It was extremely frustrating to see how much Miss Jones was hindering her work. There were times when Alice just wanted to grab her and scream at her ‘Why are you wasting my bloody time?!’ ... Instead, being a professional, she always swallowed those words. Part of her job was to be sympathetic, understanding, and patient or, at least, pretending very well to be like that.

It was tiring to have to keep disguising her feelings, to repeat the same instructions to Miss Jones over and over and still maintain a sweet facade. Considering her student's impossible behavior, Alice thought she was doing a bloody excellent job of maintaining her composure.

That’s why, on the last night of the month, she decided to reward herself and take some of a bottle of rum she had brought stolen from her parents' house. Just enough for her to relax. Or at least that was the intention. She ended up drinking a little more than she had planned and soon emptied an entire bottle without even realizing it.

She felt very confident and free and randomly decided to take a walk in the gardens in the middle of the night. Because why the hell not.

Since the night was cold, before leaving the room, she put on a long coat that dragged on the ground. While she walked down the stairs, she asked herself why she didn’t use that coat more often and, as this thought ran through her mind, suddenly, she stepped on the fabric of the coat and slipped on it. The fall wasn’t too dramatic since she was already on the bottom steps, but her scream was certainly loud enough to make it appear that she had just been thrown off the roof.

Miss Jones was the first one that came to check what had happened.

“Alice?! What happened?! Are you alright?!"

Alice, her body sprawled on the stairs, only let out a long growl in response.

Miss Jones tried to help her up, asking again if she was okay. Alice closed her eyes tightly, wishing this was a bad dream she wanted to wake up from.

To make matters worse, Miss Jones noticed why her tutor was behaving so oddly.

"Alice, are you drunk?" she asked in a tone that seemed more intrigued than shocked or disapproving.

"No!" Alice exclaimed too quickly with a high-pitched voice.

"I'm smelling alcohol on you."

As Miss Jones leaned to sniff her, Alice gave her a little reprehensive slap on the shoulder.

“Stop that!”

It was merely a reflex and she immediately regretted it. What was she doing?! She had just hit someone who could punish her in every way possible!

“Oh! I’m so sorry! Please forgive me! It wasn’t my intention...!"

"You worry too much." Miss Jones chuckled softly. "It's all right. I don't mind you telling me off when you're mad at something.”

“Uh...?”

“To be honest…” Miss Jones crossed her arms behind her back thoughtfully. “… It's a little refreshing to see you acting naturally. It's like I'm finally seeing the real you. Is that what they mean by in vino veritas, perhaps?”

"I never imagined that someone like you knew any Latin." Alice thought it and said it at the same time. “Ah! I mean...!”

“Amelia! Miss Kirkland! What’s the matter? I heard a scream!"

That voice came from the top of the stairs, where the Earl was, holding a lamp, looking worried. Cold panic invaded Alice's veins. How could she possibly explain her strange position? If the earl realized that she was so drunk that she fell down the stairs of his house, he would never allow her to continue to teach her daughter!

"Worry not, father." Miss Jones turned to him with a smile ready for emergencies. "Miss Kirkland was feeling a little tired and ended up slipping off the stairs when she came down to drink some water."

Alice kept her mouth shut as if her lips had been glued together.

“Is that so? Do you want me to call a doctor, Miss Kirkland?”

A doctor would diagnose that she was wasted. Wonderful.

“I...”

"There’s no need to, father." Miss Jones's smile got even bigger. “The fall wasn’t that serious. We're going for a walk in the garden and she'll feel a lot better,” she said this and offered her arm to help Alice get up and Alice, instinctively, grabbed it for her dear life.

"In that case, I trust you to take care of her, Amelia," the earl replied, seeming relieved. "Miss Kirkland, please don’t work beyond your limits."

"Of course...." Alice looked down sheepishly. "I won’t."

Alice continued to hold on Amelia's arm even after the earl left, not because she had injured her leg or was too drunk to walk, but because her knees were still shaking with fear. That situation had been dangerous. She couldn't even imagine how tarnished her reputation would be if the earl had realized what truly happened.

"I saved you." Miss Jones made a point of commenting with a mischievous and almost proud smile when they went outside.

Alice quickly thanked her in a flat voice, trying not to show more emotions than necessary. She hoped that the conversation would end soon.

"What did you drink?" Amelia asked.

What a blunt question!

"... Rum," she responded in a very quiet voice.

Even if Alice thought of lying, she ended up deciding it would be a waste of energy to do so.

“Rum? Where did you get rum?”

Alice, at this point, didn't even think she could lie, though it would probably be better if she did so.

"I brought it in my luggage," she confessed.

“Ohh! Alice, you have a rebellious side!” Miss Jones, very giddy, hid her mouth with one hand, her eyes glittering.

Feeling a heavy conscious due to her role as Miss Jones’s teacher, Alice felt obliged to advice,

"Don't follow my example, miss."

“Pff. Don’t worry. I won’t go downstairs while I’m drunk.” Miss Jones rolled her eyes, amused. “You're not very stealthy. You would be a terrible thief.”

Alice felt that she was being slightly mocked. How to react to it? Perhaps it would be safer to ignore the teasing?

“I will take this as a compliment,” she answered coldly.

They walked a little farther, using the moon to light their way. They didn't get too far from the mansion, just enough that they wouldn't feel its shadow weighing on their backs. 

"So ... why don't you usually act naturally while you're working?" Miss Jones broke the silence. "Am I that intimidating?"

Even with all her fears and worries about appearances, Alice had to snort when she heard that.

"You're one of the least intimidating people on this planet, Miss Jones."

Then, all of sudden, Amelia Fairfax Jones made a huge tantrum, scowling and stomping on the ground.

" 'Miss Jones’, ‘Miss Jones’! Why can’t you call me Amelia?"

“My apologies, Miss Amelia...”

“Amelia!”

"Miss ... Amelia." Alice repeated pathetically. It was still uncomfortable for her to refer to Lady Jones more casually.

“Amelia! Amelia!” Miss Jones pointed furiously to herself. "Come on, I want to hear you saying my name!”

To make her point even more strongly, Miss Jones grabbed Alice’s cheeks, bringing their faces closer. It was the first time Alice had a good look at the beautiful crystalline inside her eyes. All of sudden, she became too aware of Miss Jones’s beauty, which she had never noticed with such intensity.

"S-Stop it." Alice closed her eyes, unsuccessfully trying to avert her face from the firm hold of miss Jones’s soft hands.

"I will when you say my name!”

Alice was starting to lose her temper.

"You are being childish."

“It's just a name! YOU are being childish!”

"You're so stubborn!" she finally opened her eyes and properly confronted Miss Jones.

"Stubborn, you say? What gave such an impression?"

What a slimy...! She was like a snake! How Alice wished she could rub off that stupid smirk out of her face!

“How about the fact that you don't do your damn drawing exercises, even if you need to make them improve?! Or the fact that you keep playing Liszt like you're playing Bach?!"

Miss Jones finally released her and seemed to ponder for a brief moment.

"Well, you never complained. I didn’t know you were unhappy. You always said that it would be better for me to practice but...”

Urghhhhh!

"That's a complaint, you fool!" Alice screamed, pointing to her face with a shaky index finger. Her difficulty pointing at Amelia reminded her of how drunk she was. A small voice in her head was saying that maybe she should shut the hell up instead of screaming with her influential student, even though the student didn’t seem to mind being yelled at all.

“Is that so?” Amelia simply asked, having the nerve to actually look surprised.“You should have told me earlier. I would behave better if I knew.”

“I don’t want to discuss it right now,” Alice grunted, covering her face. She felt a headache on its way.

Amelia, however, wasn’t done yet.

"Alice, I'll make you a request in the only way you seem to accept it." she took a deep breath, showing a stern and determined face and placing a hand on Alice’s shoulder. The sudden imposing air she acquired was impressive. It was the first time Alice really felt she was talking to an earl's daughter.“This is my order as the person who hired you. Be honest with me. If you want to complain about me, do it. If you want to make a joke at my expense, make it. If you are honest with me, I will be honest with you and we will work much better together. ”

Alice was still unsure and remained quiet until Amelia asked,

“Why do you think I hired you?”

"Because am I good at my job?" Alice guessed without any modesty.

“Although it’s very pleasant to see your confident side, I’m sorry, that’s not the reason. My father has many contacts, as you might imagine, and I could have hired the best tutors in the country. I chose you, specifically, because you are a girl my age."

‘A girl her age’? What a joke! If Alice’s mother had decided to fornicate with her father a little sooner or later, she wouldn’t be hired???

Alice pouted, very bitter about that. Her feelings were obvious enough for Amelia to add as a consolation,

“I’m not saying you’re bad at your job. You’re just not the most renowned person I could have hired. I just thought I would have a better time with you since we’re both girls with a similar age.” seeing that Alice was still upset, Amelia grunted and got a bit more personal. “ I never liked the idea of a solemn tutor just telling me what to do. To be honest, it was a bit disappointing for me to see you treating me with so much deference all the time. It was like you put an invisible wall between us. I feel like I got to know you better now.”

"You can't possibly understand how I feel." Alice huffed in annoyance. “I am the eighth daughter of a knight. Staying at home, I only bring expenses for my family. If I didn't have a job, I would be forced to get married. I can't risk losing my job so casually.”

“That sounds awful!” Amelia looked at her pitifully. “I can hardly imagine what it would be like to be forced into doing something!”

"Honestly, in your twenty years of existence, you should have become familiar with that feeling at some point in your life.” Alice gave her honest opinion. “It would have been good for your character."

Amelia grinned a bit but soon became very serious again.

“Anyway, as I was saying, whatever happens, I won't fire you. I swear on my honor.”

Such a promise was something huge coming from such a noble family.

"... Really? Do you mean it?" Alice inquired.

“Yes, so yell at me as much as you want,” Amelia told her with an easy mind. “I just won't promise that I won't scream back, but I won't fire you no matter what you say.”

Alice never had the choice to be spontaneous with a student. She usually taught children who required certain methods to be properly educated and dealt with. That promise changed everything. Being able to talk comfortably with another girl her age, as Amelia had said, could be fun and interesting as long as Alice had the guarantee that she wouldn't be fired. In fact, that was possibly the only way Alice wouldn't have a nervous breakdown before those three months were over. God knew how much she had been holding back in those last few weeks.

Keeping all these considerations in mind, Alice reached out to Amelia with a smile on her face.

“We have a deal, Amelia.”

Instead of shaking her hand back, Amelia started to bounce happily, clapping. 

"You finally said my name!" she squealed.

"I'll never repeat it again," Alice grumbled, withdrawing her hand and trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Ahhh! Don't be like that, Alice!” she complained. That was the last thing Alice remembered she had said that night. The rest just became a mist.

* * *

The next day, Alice woke up with a huge headache and the feeling that her eyelids had gained an additional five pounds. Shortly after regaining consciousness, she remembered what had happened the night before, although her memories were so strange that she wondered if it had all been a dream... that is, until she turned to the other side of the bed and saw Miss Jones lying there, watching her curiously.

Alice screamed and fell off the bed.

"You ... We ... I ...!" She got up quickly, patting her dress to untangle it. She was barely able to say anything coherent “Did I take your virginity?" she wanted to verify, legitimately terrified of the idea.

Hearing this, Miss Jones jumped to her feet as well, turning quite red.

"What? No! I just came here this morning and wasn’t able to wake you up!” she exclaimed nervously, backing away a little. "To take my virginity ..." she mumbled, averting her eyes. “How would that be possible? We are two girls!”

“I didn’t do it, then?”

"I'm surprised that you're talking about it like it's completely possible!" Miss Jones replied mortified.

Alice was relieved and felt able to breathe again. Good Lord, what would have happened if she had drunkenly seduced Miss Jones...

"I didn't know you were interested in girls." Amelia timidly commented, averting her eyes and bracing herself.

Oh, Alice walked into that one, didn’t she?

“Uh... I...”

"You can be honest with me," Amelia told her, shuffling her feet a bit. “Remember? We have a deal. Be honest with me.”

So it wasn’t a dream. Such a promise had been made. How about that?

In Alice's experience, a person who casually asked if she had an interest in girls usually didn’t judge her severely when she confirmed their assumptions. In conclusion, she probably could be honest about this topic and that would be for the best. It would be more comfortable for her not to have to hide such important information from someone she was constantly working with.

"I'm only interested in the fair sex," she revealed, feeling her shoulders relax, no longer under the weight of secrecy. Since Amelia looked a bit nervous and awkward about it, Alice felt the need to add "You don't need to worry, though. I don't feel that way about you."

And with that, Miss Jones's attitude spun around 180 degrees.

"Why not?!" she looked unexplainedly offended by that. "Is something wrong with me?!"

... What in the world she was talking about? Was she so spoiled that she couldn't understand how anyone interested in women wouldn't be interested in her?

"Would you rather have me attracted to you, miss?" Alice asked skeptically.

Shocked by this question, Miss Jones squeaked, turned beet red and covered her face with her hands in shame, rocking her body from side to side. It was quite cute but still ... Alice wasn´t interested. She wasn´t interested, she repeated to herself.

“I-I'm just saying I would understand if you felt that way about me! I'm trying to be the most attractive girl in England after all!”

Since when had her goal become so grand?

"I thought you just wanted to defeat a specific girl, not all of England."

"If you aim for first place, you may end up in second. If you aim for the second, you may end up in the third one," Amelia argued.

Alice put her hand on her forehead. These discussions were making her headache worse.

"I'm not doing well this morning, so if you allow me, I would like to rest."

"It's all right. Can I bring you something from the kitchen?”

"No, thank you... I have no appetite."

"I'm referring to something for your hangover."

Oh.

“Yes, that would be great. Thanks."

"What should I bring?”

“A raw egg with whiskey and tabasco.”

“Eww, but alright! I’m going to get it! I’m going to the enemies' territory!”

“Would that place be your kitchen?”

“We can call it that.” Amelia winked.

“I will be waiting for your report, soldier.” Alice decided to play along.

“Aye, aye, captain!”

“Are you a soldier or a pirate?” Alice asked with a frown but Amelia already left the room before answering her. She was so energetic, really.

What a silly girl, Alice thought, smiling to herself.

* * *

Amelia and Alice’s relationship went through a significant change after the ‘stairs incident’. Being able to be honest and spontaneous around Amelia, allowed Alice to relax and even have fun during their time together. Amelia sounded way more interesting when they were able to discuss their ideas as equals. Her clever side was much more prominent when she had to explain herself, instead of simply ordering Alice around. Their conversations became very enriching and Alice felt that she was also learning something with her student during the classes.

Amelia, now, was much more dedicated to her studies. Alice’s honesty seemed to motivate her to try to get some genuine praising. Every time she showed Alice her progress, she looked at her with those big, enchanting eyes that seemed to ask ‘Did you like it? Did you like it?’. Sometimes, Alice had to take a big breath before answering to try to remain partial and objective even if Amelia looked unbearably adorable.

By the end of Alice’s second month in Norshire, Amelia’s drawing skills went through a considerable evolution thanks to the effort she put into practice. She got a better understanding of lightning and perspective and, while she couldn’t be considered a Michelangelo, Alice thought she was doing well enough to be able to show off some of her works during the ball.

Amelia also improved in the piano, understanding the technical aspects very well and being able to quickly reduce her number of mistaken notes. Still, her interpretation felt stiff. She didn’t know how to play Liszt properly. Her music wasn’t spontaneous or bold enough, which was something curious for a girl who usually showed these traits all the time. 

Amelia did put an effort into the fencing lessons and learned a lot over the last few weeks. She was, however, still practicing with a broom and that had to change. She needed to have some experience with an actual sword before a duel.

One day, during the last week of the month, while Amelia and Alice were training together in an isolated place on the property, Alice told to her student:

“Today, we are going to practice using real swords.”

“Finally!” Amelia celebrated, bouncing up and down. “I’ve been waiting for it!”

That girl... She was so precious. Alice couldn’t help but smile seeing her.

“Don’t get too excited. That would make your disappointment after you lose to me even more bitter.” she teased Amelia a bit receiving an equally teasing eyebrow movement from her. “Besides, remember that we will be using swords. They are not a toy. You need to be very careful.”

“Don’t worry about it!” Amelia waved her hand, dismissively. “One of my fifteen family names is ‘Careful’!”

“Nice joke. Now, pay attention to what I’m saying. I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

“I’m going to be fine. I’m more worried about hurting you, to be honest.”

At hearing this, Alice’s heart jumped unexpectedly.

“You don’t...” ‘need to care about me’, she wanted to say, but the possibility that Amelia listened to her and stopped caring was too painful for her to be able to actually say it. ‘...You won’t make any mistakes. I taught you well. Just don’t get too cocky.”

“Understood!” Amelia beamed, looking way too cocky.

Although that wasn’t convincing, Alice still tried to have some faith in her student. After all, they would only make advances if she did.

“First, I need you to lower your dress to your waist level,” Alice instructed.

Amelia’s chin fell dramatically as if her jaw had vanished in smoke. Her bewildered expression was so excessive that it looked almost comical.

“W-Why do you want me to...?” she asked, covering her breasts with her arms, even though she was still fully dressed.

“Our clothes are dirty. If you accidentally stab me, that would increase the risk of contamination. That’s why for our first practices, we are going to lower our dresses.” Alice explained very reasonably.

Still, Amelia was lost for words and looking almost petrified.

“I can take mine first so you feel less shy,” Alice offered and started doing so. However, at the moment that her dress went down her breasts, Amelia shrieked and turned away.

“I can’t do this! I can’t!” she shouted, putting her hands in the sides of her head.

“Have you never seen another girl without clothes?” Alice asked confused. That seemed like such an overreaction.

“Yes, I did!” Amelia’s voice got very high-pitched. “But… This situation is different!”

“Why?” Alice asked, still waiting for Amelia with her dress hanging bellow her breasts.

"Because ..." her lower lip trembled. She tightened the fabric of her skirts. She looked very hesitant to answer that question.

Why did she appear to be so uncomfortable and afraid? Was she…?

“Are you afraid of me? Is that it?” Alice fired the question, unable to disguise the anger in her voice. "Do you think this was an elaborate plot on my part to see your breasts?" she rolled her eyes and thrown her hands in the air, exasperated. “Yes, of course! Months of work just for this moment to come! It was an evil plan on my part to see the best breasts in the world!”

“No, that's not it!” Amelia shook her face vehemently. That answer wasn't enough to soften Alice's hurt feelings.

"Look at me when you're offending me!" Alice demanded.

And as soon as Amelia did that, Alice saw Amelia's face all confused, red and vulnerable. Her eyes immediately descended to Alice's breasts. Her mouth opened slightly, hungrily.

The problem wasn’t that Amelia suspected that Alice might be attracted to her. The problem was, Amelia was suspicious that she might be attracted to Alice.

"Uh ..." Alice didn't know what to say. She started to feel hot all over.

"Hm." apparently, Amelia didn't know what to say either.

“It’s normal to feel like this about another woman’s body. That’s more common than you think.” Alice told her comfortingly. She played out the tutor-figure role to evade her own feelings on the matter.

"Is it really normal?" Amelia wanted to confirm, slowly raising her eyes. She was clearly anxious. “I still want to marry Elton and Elton is a man.” She put on a determined face, trying to sound way more self-assured than she seemed to be. "I still want to marry him ... I just ... Uh ..."

Amelia's eyes returned to Alice's breasts and Alice clicked her tongue in frustration, biting her lips. If Amelia wasn't the daughter of an earl ... If she wasn't the one who hired her...

"Nice breasts." Amelia finally said. Despite not being the most romantic or tempting line, Alice had heard worse.

"I don't care if you end up staring at them initially." Alice lied blatantly. “You'll get used to them. Just try to listen to what I'm saying and train properly.”

"Understood ..." Amelia reacted with her head down, like a sad dog forced to sleep outside the house. "I ... Uh ... I'm going to lower my dress."

She fumbled a bit with her dress before lowering it to her waist. She had large, full breasts with soft pink nipples. They looked like something that should be in an Aphrodite statue. Alice felt a bit breathless at seeing them.

“Nice breasts.” she ended up joking to make things a little less awkward.

Amelia laughed, a little embarrassed, and they were able to continue the lesson. More or less. For the rest of the class, Amelia remained distracted. Her efforts, instead of being directed to her stance and Alice’s movements, were clearly being put into looking anywhere but Alice’s breasts. Alice called her attention several times over this. At first, she tried to be subtle and just said ‘try to be more careful’. However, as the hours went by, her self-control was wearing thin and she decided to be more incisive.

“Amelia, I don't care if you want to stare at my breasts! Just look at them and pay attention to the lesson again!”

Amelia gasped.

"I don't want to ..!" she put a hand over heart, acting scandalized.

“I like your breasts too but this is an important class and you have no time to waste!”

As soon as Alice finished this sentence, Amelia lowered her head and dropped her sword.

Immediately, Alice's stomach seemed to fall to the ground as well. 

Was Amelia angry? Disgusted by Alice’s admission of attraction towards her? Had Alice crossed the line of acceptable behavior?

“Sorry, I don't think I'm in acceptable conditions to train today.” Amelia politely informed her with a sad and soft smile. She wasn’t angry or disgusted at all. “I've never had a physical desire for anyone else before, so it feels a bit strange. I’m not sure what to do about it. If you're saying it's normal, I'll believe in you because you never lied to me. I just need some time to get used to the idea. Be patient with me, please.”

Sincere, spontaneous, impulsive. That was the kind of person Amelia was. She didn’t calculate the consequences of her actions and words. She simply allowed herself to trust the world and the people on it. That’s why she was opening her heart to Alice.

And Alice felt so much like kissing this girl that her body shook a little.

"Very well. If you wish so, we can continue training later," Alice forced a calm and graceful response.

"Thank you very much," Amelia responded with relief and sincere appreciation, placing a hand over her heart. "I will try to do better in my next class."

'We should show our breasts to each other more frequently to make you used to it' Alice thought of suggesting and censured herself, deeming the idea too inappropriate to be said aloud, even as a joke.

* * *

That same night, after dinner, Amelia busted into Alice's room without knocking and excitedly shouted: 

“We should show our breasts to each other more frequently to make me used to it!”

Was Alice really listening to the joke she thought about earlier being said as a serious proposition? She put down the book she was reading and frowned at her student.

“Didn’t you say that you needed some time to get used to the idea that you might fancy ladies?” she reminded her in a much lower voice than Amelia had used.

"Yes, but I have come to the conclusion that it will be much easier to deal with it if I see your breasts again and find out that they have no effect on me!" Amelia proudly explained, looking genuinely convinced that this was an idea that could work out.

Alice was a little skeptical about this possibility. She saw Amelia's reaction to her body. That level of physical attraction wouldn’t disappear in a day, frankly.

"You'll still be attracted when you see me again," she stated rationally. "Maybe it will be even worse because this time, we're alone in my room."

Amelia laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.

"What do you think might happen?"

"I don't know," Alice replied honestly, reading her book again. She didn't want to look into Amelia's eyes. Yet, even without looking, she felt Amelia getting closer to her and sitting beside her on the bed.

“Alice, listen.” She sounded so pleading and so very close. “I need to have a confirmation of what I felt before. I-I just want to understand what that was and what it means for me. It’s too important for me to ignore it. I won't be able to concentrate while I'm tormenting myself over this!”

"What exactly are you asking me for?" Alice raised her eyes.

"I want to see your body again," Amelia told her bluntly, then blushed a little. "And maybe touch it?"

Oh.

Alice's throat went dry. Consciously, she swallowed some saliva.

"... What do you think will happen if I allow it?"

"I'll find out I'm not attracted to girls!" Amelia sounded very sure of it. Maybe excessively so.

"What if you realize _you're _attracted to girls?"

“There's no way that will happen!” she waved her hand with a burst of terribly annoying laughter.

What to do? Alice didn't think she could convince Amelia that this experiment wouldn't have the results she wanted. Also, she was almost certain that Amelia would spend the rest of her lessons distracted and grumpy if she didn't receive the chance to test out her plan. It would be better to let her do what she wanted right away. Besides, Alice wasn't opposed to the idea of a stunning lady touching her breasts.

"If you insist." She sighed deeply. "We can do it."

"Can you touch my breasts too?" Amelia asked candidly, tilting her head to the side.

“You have to be joking!” Alice snapped. “What is your next proposal? Should we kiss and caress each other under the moonlight?! To test it out?!"

"I was just trying to be fair!" Amelia tried to defend herself with a sad pout.

“That’s not really a matter of fairness!”

“Alright, alright. I get it.” Amelia growled, rolling her eyes. "I'll just touch yours, then.”

"Are you upset about this?" Alice noticed.

“No.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

“You’re just terrible in general,” Amelia complained but it didn't feel like she meant it. “May you lower your nightgown? It would be weird if I did that.”

"I’m guessing the situation won't be strange at all if I lower my nightgown myself so you can look and touch my breasts."

Amelia rolled her eyes and didn't reply. She probably didn't have a counterargument or didn’t want to think too much about it. If she did, she would probably see that her actions made no sense. Alice knew she was smart enough to be aware that she was just making an excuse for herself to do something she wanted, without thinking too much about the consequences.

Even knowing this, Alice decided to lower her nightgown and reveal her body.

This wasn't the first time she'd shown her body to another woman, nor the first time she'd shown it to Amelia and yet, Alice's heart reacted with a maiden's nervousness, feeling very self-conscious when Amelia began to look at her torso without the protection of the fabric between them.

To make matters worse, Amelia, in her distraction, keeping leaning over her, which made her retreat and retreat to the point of ending up with her back pressed against the mattress while Amelia was over her, like a cat that just captured her prey. If their position wasn't suggestive before ...

"Did you know you have great skin?" Amelia asked, looking at every detail on Alice's body with fascination. "It looks soft."

"Thank you." Alice's answer came out in a choked voice. She did her best to keep a straight face.

"You're turning red all over," Amelia pointed out with a teasing smile so suggestive that Alice felt herself getting a bit wet.

That was quite enough for her. Alice started pulling up her nightgown as fast as she could.

"Are you satisfied?" she asked impatiently while she got dressed again. "Was that enough for you to evaluate if your feelings were entirely platonic?"

Instead of giving her a proper answer, Amelia’s hurried and probably impulsive reaction was to grab Alice's breasts and squeeze them lightly, which made her moan loudly.

"What was that?!" Alice asked with wide eyes. She was mostly surprised at herself. What was that noise? She was definitely more sensitive than usual.

Amelia also looked shocked by her own actions.

"Ah ... Hm ... You said I could touch them!" that was all she could say in her defense.

Indeed, Alice did authorize her to do so... Still! That didn't justify the way she had touched Alice! That was too lewd! Alice felt an intense urge to scream at Amelia _‘You want me! Just accept that fact and control yourself before I end up telling you that I want you too!’_.

Instead, she simply commented in a very tired voice, covering her forehead with one hand:

“You are aware of my attraction to girls. Why do you keep testing me this way?”

Amelia let out a gasp.

“I’m not testing you! Where did this unfounded accusation come from?”

"Listen, if you are not doing it on purpose, just think more about the effect you have on me!" Alice retorted. "If you're not attracted to girls, think about how it would be for me if I started feeling attracted to you!"

Amelia looked stunned and it was obvious that that thought had never occurred to her.

“Sorry... I... I truly didn’t think that...”

“I know you didn’t.”

Amelia looked guilty and regretful. 

“My dear Alice, I’m so sorry,” she held Alice’s hands very tenderly. Her eyes were even more apologetic than her words. “You're always so nice to me. Even when you scold me, it's always thinking of my well-being. I think I got used to relying on you to say what I should and shouldn't do, and I didn't realize there were things you would like me to realize on my own.”

“It’s fine.” Alice averted her look. “I’m glad you acknowledged your mistakes and I hope to see some improvement in your behavior from now on.”

“I’m going to try my best. Still, there’s something that you got mistaken about as well.”

“What do you mean?”

“I do feel attracted to you. I’m certain of it now.” Amelia informed her in a surprisingly calm manner.

Alice felt every strand of hair in her body standing. How could Amelia say something like that in such a casual manner? Alice wasn’t able to react to it in the same way!

“You... You seem more comfortable with the idea than you were this afternoon.” Alice pointed out. She was scared of saying more. She didn’t want to seem too interested.

“The initial shock is more disorienting. I feel like my head is a little clearer now.”

“Oh.”

“I’m still going to marry Elton!” Amelia said, very red, looking like she was trying to convince herself of it. “What I feel for you is just ...! It’s...!” she seemed at a loss for words. She didn’t know how to end that sentence and had to take a curve at her arguments. “You are so smart and beautiful. I think all men and women must have similar feelings towards you! I'm just being open about it! There's nothing wrong with wanting someone if you don't do anything about it, right?” Amelia defended herself vigorously.

Socially, there was nothing wrong with that. That was how a lot of people lived their lives. Alice, on the other hand, didn’t have the ability to ignore her own heart. If she liked someone and thought they might fancy her back, she always would give it a try. She would rather deal with the negative consequences of being open about her feelings than deal with the anguish of hiding them. The only thing that could make Alice give up on a pursuit would be if the lady herself didn't want her. No matter what the reasons for her refusal, Alice would always respect them. Even if she fell in love with someone, she would contain her feelings for the person in question.

"Indeed, miss, these feelings are not a concern if you don’t act on them," she confirmed in a composed, formal tone. “Nothing will happen. I will remain professional towards you. Just learn to hold back your desires a little more to avoid awkward situations, yes?”

"Yes ..." Amelia replied with her head down, biting her lower lip.

"Also, please, stop making those sudden visits to my room." Alice took the opportunity to make this request. “I have to sleep to be patient enough to deal with you during our classes.”

"You say that, but I'm your favorite student." Amelia joked a little, thankfully lightening the mood.

"You're my only student, you fool."

"Therefore, your favorite!" Amelia concluded happily, getting up from the bed.

Alice just shook her head and gestured for her to leave. She was too tired to give any other answer.

* * *

Despite the admissions made on that night, the fact that the ball was so close was a consuming enough distraction to stabilize their relationship for the next few days and dilute any strangeness left between them. Amelia's victory at that event came to represent much more than before for Alice. Since she had developed some affection for her student, she didn’t want to see her humiliated and disappointed. They were focused on the classes.

Apart from the stress of the intense training routine, everything was going very smoothly. Well, except for the fact that from time to time, Amelia blurted out a line like ‘I could kiss you now, Alice!’ and Alice had no idea whether she meant it or not.

Either way, everything was fine. Alice was fine. The fact that it was immensely frustrating to see such a gorgeous, funny, and unique wonder of a girl insistently trying to please a man who snubbed her? It wasn’t a problem. She could handle it. The fact that she was beginning to feel her heart pounding when Amelia gave her loud and unladylike laughs and felt her body tense at any physical contact between the two? That was nothing. Everything was under perfect control. Amelia was doing well in her studies and that’s what mattered.

The fencing lessons were probably the trickiest ones at first, but Amelia seemed to be more comfortable with them after she was permitted to openly stare Alice's breasts before they began training. Honestly, it was Alice who had been having a little trouble focusing on these classes lately. She thought that the more she saw Amelia's breasts, the easier it would be to feel indifferent about them... She was wrong. If she had wanted to, she could have touched those breasts, she thought, every time she saw them. And she felt more and more like touching them. Because of this, Alice began to lose some duels and Amelia even accused her of taking it easy on her. Alice was smart enough to not refuse this excuse. 

* * *

With a week and a half before the ball, Alice decided it would be interesting if Amelia started preparing some drawings to show at the big event. If she had to draw them during the ball, that could shorten her time to show off her other skills, so she had to make them ahead of time. Amelia cheerfully agreed with this proposal.

“Great idea, Alice! You’re so smart! What do you think I should draw?”

“How about still life? That seems to be your forte.”

A little hesitation appeared in the usually sure-about-everything Amelia Fairfax Jones.

“Um, I don't know. Elton has seen my still life drawings before. I think it would surprise him more if I showed something different.”

"What do you have in mind? An allegorical painting?”

"Definitively not!” Amelia shook her head. “I’m not that confident in myself to make something so complex in such a short time! I was thinking of a portrait."

What a surprise to hear something so rational coming from her! A portrait seemed like a perfectly reasonable option! It allowed someone to be honored and for Amelia’s artistic skills to be revealed more modestly.

"That's a great idea, miss!"

“You really think so?” Amelia covered her mouth with her hands, squealing a bit. Her eyes sparkled like a pair of stars. "Oh, nothing makes me happier than to get your approval, Alice!"

"It's not like I always complain about everything ..." Alice grumbled, slightly embarrassed.

"If that's what you think..." Amelia replied with a smirk and a shrug. "Anyway, I already thought of someone who could be a great model.”

“Your father?”

“Hah! Not at all! Bringing a portrait of my father to compare it to a drawing made by an independent and rebellious woman? I would look so silly!”

She had a point.

"Fine, so how about drawing an animal?" Alice suggested. "One of the horses, maybe?

"I'm not good at drawing animals," Amelia admitted with the corners of her mouth lowered.

“Who do you want to draw, then?”

“You.”

Alice's face was covered by a multitude of scarlet shades.

"Lady Jones!" she exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.

"Were you so surprised that you reverted back two months in teaching me?" Amelia teased.

Alice was so bewildered by the unexpected direction that the conversation had taken her that she couldn't even think of a proper reply. She never imagined herself as a model!

"I just...! I wouldn't imagine that ... Why me?”

"First of all, because you are extremely beautiful," Amelia answered, not hesitating for a second, despite saying something very embarrassing.

Alice bit her lower lip hard and looked down shyly. She didn't want to react so much to such simple words, yet the simple and straight-forward way Amelia said them, made her heart start bouncing in her chest.

Extremely beautiful ... Did Amelia think that of her? Alice ended up smiling a little at the thought.

"Second, because you're my tutor!" Amelia added quickly. “Presenting a portrait of my tutor would represent much better my dedication to my studies than drawing my father or a horse!”

For some reason, Alice was a little less pleased when this second justification appeared, however reasonable it was.

"Hm, I suppose you're right," she agreed half-heartedly.

"Great! So let's go to work!” Amelia exclaimed, already picking up her drawing materials.

"Wait!" Alice held up her hands, asking for some time. "I ... I've never posed for a portrait before!"

“What a blatant lie.” Amelia mocked her.

"I'm being honest!" Alice insisted, frowning.

"No one ever wanted to draw you?" Amelia doubted, shaking her head and giving a skeptical smile.

"Not everyone thinks I'm as exceptionally beautiful as you do, Amelia!" this line came out of Alice’s mouth before she could refrain it and Amelia was, naturally, taken aback by it.

"I ... I ..." she started babbling pathetically, unable to finish her sentences. Only after a few seconds of this, she was able to take a deep breath and affirm with renewed enthusiasm. “Let's prove them wrong! I will make such a perfect portrait that your charms will be undeniable for anyone! You might even get a husband after that.”

A husband, huh?

"Amelia, I only like women, remember?" Alice gave her the look of someone who had just bitten a spoiled food.

Amelia got nervous. Her breathing seemed faster and she looked down at the sketchbook in her hands.

“Yes, but... you’re still going to marry at some point, right? To secure your future.”

"No, I intend to keep working as a tutor and never get married," Alice replied coldly.

An uncomfortable silence followed that.

"Aren’t you..." Amelia said after a while in a very quiet and hesitant voice. "... Aren’t you afraid of this kind of future?"

Alice smiled sardonically. She thought about lying and looking far more fearless than she really was. In the end, she decided not to. There was something about Amelia, in their relationship, that made Alice want to risk being honest and vulnerable with her.

"I have. It is obvious that I have. It's scary when you don't follow the same path that everyone is following.”

Amelia swallowed, looking at Alice with a mixture of respect and something akin to fear.

"I admire you for having the courage to go after what you want."

‘Unlike me’ were the words that were implied.

"That’s nothing," Alice replied modestly.

“For you, maybe. I still think you're amazing.” Amelia smiled, but there was a sadness in her eyes when she said that.

Alice wanted to put some distance between them.

"How should I pose for you?" she asked, rising from her chair and sitting on a stool just ahead, giving Amelia a good view of her profile.

Amelia seemed relieved at the change of subject.

“Oh, I didn't think about that much! Stay in any position you find comfortable!”

Alice's position of comfort was to stand with her head down, slightly tilted to the side and her hands in her lap.

Staying under Amelia's appreciative and attentive stare reminded her of the last time that something like this had happened. She rubbed her knees under her skirts uneasily.

"Can you look my way?" Amelia asked in a tone of such need that it was practically a demand. "I'd like to draw your eyes too."

"Sorry, I'm a little nervous," Alice admitted in a shaky voice, slowly turning her eyes back to Amelia.

"How about we talk to you to calm down? I think it's a great opportunity for us to get to know each other better."

"We always talk." Alice scoffed at her.

"About painting, music, or fencing!" Amelia replied annoyed. "Did you know that life has more than that?"

“It does? How did no one tell me that?”

“Oh, be quiet. Other than being sarcastic all the time, what do you like to do?”

Instead of thinking about the question, Alica was more absorbed in Amelia’s intense and focused gaze. Seeing Amelia like this made Alice think of her various expressions she didn't know yet and how much she wanted to get to see them.

"I like books ..." she replied, trying to distract herself.

“Haha! I'm not surprised by that!” 

"I'll stop here, then, since you know me so well."

"Nooo! Please, continue!” Amelia begged with adorable, pleading eyes. Luckily for her, Alice was gradually becoming weaker to that expression.

“I like tea, alcohol, and gardening.”

"All at once?"

Despite the fact it was said as a joke, that wasn't as far from the truth as Amelia thought. Drinking some tea mixed with alcohol and watching some rose bushes seemed like a nice idea for an afternoon for Alice.

"Occasionally."

Seeming in doubt whether she was serious or not, Amelia contested her,

"I never saw you doing gardening."

“I don't have much time for that. I’m always working. Now, if I had free time and space for it, I would definitely like to have a beautiful garden full of flowers. Too bad it will never be possible. I know my future is some small apartment in the middle of the city.”

Amelia was silent for a few moments, concentrating on her drawing, apparently.

“You don't have to live in an apartment. I can give you a house,” she casually said.

"Very funny."

"I know I am. How does that relate to the fact that I'm going to give you a house?"

Amelia didn’t have that stupid smile she made when she was joking around. She looked as neutral as she could be. Not a millimeter of her expression indicated she was joking or lying. Then, it was true? She was offering Alice a HOUSE?!

"What?!" Alice leaned forward, her eyebrows jumping on her forehead.

“Stay still!” Amelia reprehended her.

Alice immediately corrected her position and tried to make a normal expression. She didn't want to ruin her portrait and let alone her opportunity to get a house. However, while she tried to remain calm and seem impassive, a series of thoughts flooded her head. Was Amelia being honest? If she was, what was the meaning of that gesture? Wasn't that a little too much to be just an altruistic act?

“I know I managed to impress you this time, but can you look a bit more normal? Please?” Alice felt some smugness sneaking in Amelia’s tone.

"I don't know if I can do that," Alice muttered, feeling her cheeks burning a little.

Amelia seemed immensely pleased with that answer.

"You are adorable."

Clearly, Alice had become a form of entertainment for Amelia, and there was nothing she could do about it. Amelia was correct when she said that it was fine for her to feel attraction for ladies if she didn’t act upon it. If they only flirted, the social order would be maintained.

"What do you like to do, Amelia?" Alice asked this to avoid commenting on the previous comment she made.

"Me?" Amelia pointed to herself, looking pleasantly surprised by Alice's curiosity about her. “I like playing the piano, going for walks in the woods, riding horses, and buying new clothes!”

"Your clothes are very pretty indeed." Alice had to admit.

"And what do you think of the person under them?" Amelia subtly teased her, pretending innocent curiosity, like it was no big deal to ask such a question.

"Why are you asking me that?" Alice glared at her.

"I'm just curious!" Amelia continued to feign innocence.

What a complicated girl. Alice took a deep breath and carefully selected her words:

"I think many would agree that you are very handsome."

"Do you really think so?" she asked with a big smile on her face. "How about you? Are you popular, Alice?”

That was an easier question to answer.

"Not really. I am the eighth daughter of a knight. I don’t have much to offer in financial terms. Besides, men don't usually find me affable enough to be a good wife.”

“Hm.”

"You must be popular, Amelia."

Amelia laughed and shook her head.

“Although I'm good at making a first impression, I'm not usually desired as a wife.”

It made sense. Although Amelia was very pretty and at a good age to marry, most men couldn't handle such a bright and effervescent personality. Men had a weak taste for women, in Alice’s opinion.

“Don't feel bad about it. Most nobles want a wife for the same purpose as a porcelain vase: decoration.” Alice gave her thoughts on the matter.

"Don't you choose your lovers for their beauty?" Amelia pried a bit further.

"It's not my only criteria. Beauty is something that quickly gets accentuated or diluted when a woman opens her mouth.”

“Is that so? What kind of woman attracts you, then?”

"I like women..." adventurous, exciting, spontaneous, sincere, adorable. "... mature, reserved, and elegant." Alice lied. She didn't want to give Amelia the satisfaction of knowing that she matched with her ideal profile.

Amelia's hand stopped in the air and her expression looked like someone biting a lemon.

“Do you want a lover or a lady in waiting?” she questioned bitterly.

"Did you get upset with my preferences?" Alice asked with a sweet, cynical voice. She was enjoying being the one in control for once.

“I did not,” Amelia grumbled, drawing again and staring at the notebook in her hands as if she was facing a deadly enemy. "I'm upset because you keep changing your expressions and I can't get your face right.”

“Very well. I'll be more careful about that,” Alice promised, adding in a perfectly innocent voice, “You know what else I appreciate? Women with dark hair and eyes ...”

"Now you're just teasing me!" Amelia stopped drawing again to glare at Alice, fuming with jealousy. Oh, that was an interesting expression to see.

"I don’t quite understand. What do you mean?”

Amelia's eyes darted from side to side while she considered an answer.

“I like my fiancé! He is great! I'm marrying him!” She stated it almost as if this was a provocation rather than simply facts being mentioned.

"Indeed, that's our goal, isn't it?" Alice responded calmly.

Not knowing what to say, Amelia fell silent again and turned her attention back on the drawing. She continued scowling for the rest of the day and didn't say another word to Alice.

The next day, she pretended that their dialogue had never taken place and the rest of the week proceeded normally, except for the slightly painful fact that Amelia had stopped flirting with Alice since then.

* * *

Their last day of practice before the ball would have a music lesson, which was very convenient since out of all the classes, they made the least progress on it.

Amelia had practiced _Au Bord D'une Source_ multiple times. She knew the notes by heart. Her only problem was still not being able to convey the essence of the music. Her style was still too traditional for Liszt. This would be obvious to anyone who would hear her play, especially compared to a big-city, artistic woman in touch with the latest trends in music.

Alice had tried to explain Liszt's music in many ways and nothing had worked so far. Explaining his concepts, the idea behind the composition and his influences had done no good. Now, in the last moments before the big day, she had one last chance to impact Amelia and change her way of playing the piano. If the most rational methods didn't work, she had to appeal to her student's emotions.

They were sitting side by side at the piano. The earl and his wife had gone out to dinner at a neighbor's house and the mansion was quiet. Moonlight poured gently through the large glass windows of the room.

Alice silently noticed that Amelia looked different than usual that night. She had deep circles under her eyes, all her hair was in a tight bun to not bother her, and she had a determined and serious expression. Amelia looked good when she was working so hard on something. Alice felt a little jealous of Mr. Ford for being the one to bring out that side of her.

"Let's talk about passion, Amelia," she informed before Amelia started to play.

Amelia turned to her, taking her hands off the piano and placing them on her lap.

"What?" She laughed uncomfortably. "Will you finally admit that you fell in love with me?"

"No. Also, I want to talk about it in a purely theoretical sense." Alice answered dryly. “You need to have a better understanding of what makes a virtuoso able to play the composition you choose.”

"I understood. Emotions, spontaneity… You told me all this.” Amelia sighed. That answer couldn’t have been said in a less bored tone.

"I find it strange how you can't convey these qualities to your music when they are the essence of what you are." Alice pointed out, making Amelia grimace a bit. “I believe you are putting a distance between your mind and your heart when you play. I want to help you get these things closer. You don’t usually think about what you feel, correct?”

“I don't need to think about what I feel. I feel what I feel.” Amelia put it plainly.

"And yet, you lack words to describe those feelings."

Amelia was astonished, seeming to have been caught on the act. Maybe she didn't think Alice was paying her enough attention to notice these details about her character. If that was her presumption, she was sorely mistaken. Alice did pay attention to her and thought of her constantly, maybe even a little more than she should.

“That's why your music doesn't express your emotions properly.” Alice concluded, clearing her throat and proceeding with the lesson, “Let's chat a bit. What brings out your passion?”

Amelia bit her lower lip, looked away, and started to tap her foot nervously.

“I... I don’t know.”

“Wasn't there anything that made you heart pound? Nothing that consumed your thoughts every day? Nothing that drives you to do your best?”

Amelia looked almost panicked.

"I don't know!" she shouted, aggressive and desperate at the same time.

It was a surprise to see Amelia react like that to a question about her feelings. She was usually quite bashful about them. Alice wondered if she had put too much pressure on her student.

“Amelia, it’s not a problem if you have never experienced it." she put a hand on Amelia’s shoulder.

"I've already experienced that." Amelia retorted right away, looking almost offended. "I feel it for ... uh ... horses."

Alice's guilt for upsetting Amelia made her not dispute that answer. At least, not out loud. Instead, she simply gave Amelia a piece of advice,

"Listen, when you're playing, I don't want you to think of composition as a set of notes. Try to think about what you feel when you think about ... horses and try to make the music harmonize with that feeling. Let your emotions overflow from you.”

Amelia nodded, starting to stretch her hands. She didn't look very excited. As Alice had thought, 'horses' wasn’t her true passion.

"To be honest, I'm a little surprised." Alice decided to tell her.

“Why is that?”

"When it comes to passion, I thought your fiancé would be your first choice."

The lines in Amelia’s expression tightened even more. There was a shadow in her countenance.

"Are you feeling well?" Alice gently pressed her shoulder, feeling a bit worried.

"... I am." Amelia replied rather dejectedly. "I'll try to play now."

Alice didn’t feel better with that response. She could see that Amelia wasn’t well and felt it was her fault.

"Amelia, I’m sorry. I didn't want to make her nervous about tomorrow.” Alice ended up letting her distress slip into her voice and demeanor. “I think you have made incredible progress so far. I'm ... I'm very proud of you! Believe me...!”

Seeing her like that, Amelia ended up with a hint of a smile on her face.

"Don't worry, silly." Amelia placed her hand over Alice’s. Her touch was warm and kind. “I'm fine. And I'm ready now. I understand what you mean.”

Silent complicity could be felt between them through the contact of their hands. Nothing more needed to be said.

This time, when Amelia played, there was a lot more spontaneity and confidence in her performance. Maybe even some arrogance, which suited her. More importantly, there was life, there was enthusiasm, and there was Amelia on that piano. The composition didn't sound perfect, it didn't sound like it should ideally sound, but it sounded interesting and unique, and it served as a good sample of Amelia's skills.

For the first time, Alice immersed herself in the composition. Every note came burning with the fire of Amelia’s soul. It was as if they sparkled brightly, illuminating the dark room where they were.

Alice needed a few seconds to react properly after she finished the music.

"I ..." she let out a shaky breath. “I think you did much better. This is the first time I've felt you playing with the heart.”

"What did you think?" Amelia’s eyes had a mysterious glow in them.

"I thought it was amazing," Alice replied with a tender, proud smile. "I’m moved."

Her cheeks were suddenly covered by Amelia's hands. She felt the temperature of her skin rise. 

"W-What are you doing?!" she scolded Amelia.

"I want to try something," Amelia answered in a whisper, not budging from her position.

Alice felt a chill go through her body. That was too intense.

"What do you want, exactly?"

"Can I try it?" Amelia asked impatiently, acting as if she didn't even have time to explain herself.

Well, to hell with it.

"Yes, do what you want," Alice replied, not quite measuring the consequences of her words.

Before Alice even had time to process what was happening, Amelia kissed her. 

It was a disruptive kiss that didn't quite get right the position of Alice's mouth, but the mere sensation of Amelia's lips against hers made a damp wave of heat slide all over Alice’s body. Amelia's mouth was as soft as she had imagined and much sweeter than she had dared to think.

Something snapped in Alice. All the pressure she had built up, trying to be strictly professional with Amelia during those months was released at once, like a bomb blast.

Saying nothing, she grabbed Amelia's waist, corrected the inclination of her head to kiss her properly, and made Amelia lean back, being pressed against the piano keys. The disjointed notes that the instrument made sounded like a lovely melody to Alice.

Amelia had no experience. She was confused when Alice pressed her lips with her tongue, requesting entrance for them, and yet, she opened them, letting Alice practically devour her with increasingly deeper kisses.

Amelia began to moan, gripping Alice's shoulders and holding her firmly in that position.

That reaction was enough incentive for Alice to try touching more spots on her body, simultaneously caressing her thigh and one of her breasts. Amelia was responding very lovely to it.

Dear lord, Alice thought, distributing kisses by Amelia's throat. She really wanted that girl.

That was going fast. A small voice inside Alice questioned if it wasn’t going too fast. However, when Amelia began to lower her dress, she quickly forgot those thoughts.

Alice took those exposed breasts as an invitation and approached them, pressing her tongue into one of her erect nipples. Amelia kept moaning and holding her close, so Alice didn't stop. She sucked on the nipple and lowered Amelia's dress completely, exposing the rest of her body. She grunted a little as she realized how good Amelia was smelling and how wet she was, her juices flowing down her thighs.

Alice wanted to make Amelia feel even more intense and she knew a way of doing so but she didn’t want to push it too far. She still had the head to restrain herself and to know that it would be a bit much. She just kept touching Amelia's breasts, distributing kisses over her body and caressing her skin.

Then...

"For God's sake, Alice," Amelia moaned, sounding like she was about to cry. "Touch me, please."

You know what? Amelia's responses were being positive, this was their last night together and what the hell, Alice was human. She could make mistakes sometimes.

"Spread your legs," Alice requested and Amelia did so in a second.

She put her hand on Amelia's most secret, intimate place, touching her there for the first time. She put her the most sensitive region between her fingers and moved them until Amelia was a complete mess. She put a finger inside her, then two, then three.

Amelia’s moans were so loud by this point that anyone passing in the hall could probably hear them.

But Amelia hadn’t yet experienced the great pleasure and Alice would be damned if she wasn’t the one to give her the experience.

She lowered herself before Amelia’s body, looked closely to her bright red flower, all swollen, and she started to caress it with her tongue before completely indulging on its sweet flavor.

Amelia started pulling her hair, screaming. ‘Please! Please don’t stop!’ she begged. Alice, therefore, kept going and going until Amelia got completely silent and her body went all still, except for a small tremble, and her juices started to overflow.

A little breathless and still not quite believing what had happened, Alice looked into Amelia's eyes fearfully. Would Amelia regret it now that she was satisfied?

Her insecurities were quickly erased when she saw Amelia’s face. Her eyes half-open, looked at Alice so languidly that Alice felt a chill run through her body. 

"Tomorrow, if everything goes according to plan, I'll be Elton's bride again," Amelia spoke in a breathless voice. “Tonight I'm still just Miss Jones. I’m not committed to anyone. Please, just for tonight, hold me and have me as if I were your bride as many times as you want.”

Alice couldn’t reject this offer for the life of her.

* * *

The next morning, before starting her working day, Alice had to stop in front of her bedroom mirror and remind herself of her role in that house. No matter what had happened last night, officially, she was just a tutor for Amelia and, thereby, had to follow the rules set by her client. Since Amelia had declared that this day was about her winning her fiancé back, that their experience last night would only be one last adventure before her commitment to a man, Alice would go along with it.

Alice didn't have high expectations about Amelia's reaction after what they have done. Men made a fuss about a woman's purity, even though they didn't change magically because of acquired life experiences. Perhaps, Amelia would make a joke or two about the subject or maybe she would be embarrassed by any mention of what they had done. Either way, in the end, they would still be able to eat their breakfast as if nothing had happened and discuss their plans for the day. That was just what Alice was expecting.

What Alice wasn’t expecting was to find the table where they ate their meals every morning, empty.

"What happened?" she asked a maid. “I’m guessing I was the first to wake up?"

“No, Miss Kirkland. The Countess and her daughter woke up early and went to town to buy her a new dress and accessories.”

Alice felt her heart sink a little. It was painful to think that she hadn’t been called to help. Although she didn't need to be called for something like that, she hoped and believed she would be.

"In this case, I'll... go to the kitchen to get my food.”

Whenever she'd thought about the ball, Alice figured she'd be by Amelia's side for everything. She would help her get ready in time, arrange a carriage, sort out the things she would have to bring to the party ... It would be laborious, yes, but she was excited at the thought of spending those last moments alone with her and now she knew she wouldn’t. It was particularly painful to wonder if she was being intentionally ignored because of the previous night’s events.

Trying to not mope around, Alice comforted herself with the thought that even if she hadn't been invited by Amelia to buy her new clothes and accessories, she could still see her that afternoon and give her an opinion on her look.

Unfortunately, when Amelia returned from her shopping, she barely had time to greet Alice. She rushed to her room, calling the servants to help her. Again, Alice wasn’t requested.

At least, Alice was given a green dress to wear to the ball - brought, of course, by one of the maids. Amelia was too busy.

Was that a kind gesture or just part of what Amelia had to do to impress her fiancé?, this was Alice’s first thought when she looked at the dress.

Urgh, she was aware that she was being immature. Obviously, Amelia wasn't ignoring her on purpose. It was just a busy day for her. Still, it was immensely frustrating to see that Amelia had so easily moved on with her life while Alice dwelt on her feelings, memories, and hopes.

For the rest of the day, instead of being helpful and playing her role to perfection one last time, Alice took turns between screaming on her pillow and staring at the ceiling, reflecting on life and all her mistakes since she had started working in Norshire.

She didn't even notice the hours passing by and was caught by surprise when she heard one of the servants knock on the door and say, ‘Miss Kirkland! I hope you are ready! The carriage is already coming!’. Alice's eyebrows shot up and she looked out the window, realizing to her horror that the sun was already setting down.

Alice has never put on such a complicated dress so quickly before. She almost broke an arm.

Still worth it. She couldn’t lose the ball.

“Miss Kirkland, we're leaving!” shouted the Countess from the outside while Alice was still coming down the stairs to the first floor.

She lifted her dress, quickening her pace and nearly tripping over the steps. It was the second time that day that she was on the brink of getting a serious injury.

"I'm here!" she exclaimed, finally coming out of the mansion, out of breath.

"I knew she would come!" Amelia exclaimed. Alice’s eyes followed the direction of her voice.

Amelia was stunning. She had rubbed something on her cheeks that gave them a nice flush. Her hairstyle framed her face very well, giving her a delicate look and making her golden curls look gorgeous. Her new dress was white and, although it had a rather simple silhouette compared to what she usually wore, it fit her like a glove.

"Ah ... Uh ... I ..." Alice forgot how to speak. 

“Oh, stop stuttering like that! We understand that you’re sorry! Let's get up in that carriage!” the Countess ordered, impatient and completely mistaken about why Alice was lost for words.

Amelia put her arm around Alice's shoulders, dragging her into the carriage while asking her a lot of questions about how her day was and, just like that, Alice’s previous anger vanished.

* * *

Mr. Ford's family property was much smaller than Norshire. It was a nice place with a well-maintained parish and a very spacious house, however, it was definitely not as impressive as the Jones’s mansion. In fact, it was clear that the presence of the Earl’s family was the most impressive thing in that event. All the other guests were just members of the lower nobility or not even that. That included, of course, Amelia's infamous rival.

Alice spotted her right away. She was a very interesting girl. She dressed like a gentleman, smoked and drank like one, and wasn’t intimidated in the presence of men. Mr. Ford's parents looked a little horrified at her, while their son acted as if he was in the presence of a goddess. She had dark eyes and dark hair, a lean body, and long legs.

After some time of discreet observation, Amelia leaned close to Alice's ear, causing her to involuntarily shiver, and whispered,

"What did you think of her?"

"She certainly doesn't look like a proper wife to a clergy member." Alice pointed out.

Amelia seemed to feel victorious about it, which made Alice slightly jealous.

"She would, however, be a proper wife to me," Alice poked fun at Amelia in an act of light revenge.

"You’re so inappropriate,” Amelia complained, sourly, with her cheeks all puffed.

Alice just rolled her eyes and didn't even bother to answer her. ‘You weren’t complaining about it last night’, she thought.

She got momentarily distracted, remembering the last night again, when Amelia grabbed her arm and shook it, bringing her back to the moment.

"What?!”

"They're coming!" Amelia whispered nervously.

“They?”

“Yes, them!”

Alice’s confusion was cleared up quickly when she realized that Miss Wellsmith and Mr. Elton were coming toward them.

Mr. Ford looked like an insecure man. He was hidden behind his imposing bride-to-be. He looked like someone who always had something to say, but never got the nerve to do it. He seemed afraid of Amelia and guilty about what he had done to her at the same time.

"Amelia ... I mean, Lady Jones." He addressed her with a bow. "You look lovely tonight. It’s... a pleasure to see you again. I-I would like to introduce you to Miss Wellsmith..."

Immediately, Amelia put a polite (though evidently fake) smile on her face.

"It's great to see you again, Elton, and it’s a pleasure to meet a friend of yours."

Miss Wellsmith contrasted sharply with her suitor. She was full of confidence and charisma, not seeming to be even slightly afraid of appearing arrogant. In some ways, Amelia and she were similar, although there were subtle differences in their confident attitude. Amelia didn't care what others thought of her out of sheer carelessness, while Miss Wellsmith, apparently, didn't care about it because she was ready to fight for herself.

"It’s a pleasure meeting you too, Lady Jones." Miss Wellsmith replied with a hint of mockery under her smile. “Since I’m not sure of how to properly treat a noblewoman, I won't dare to bother you by striking a pointless conversation.”

Alice noticed that Amelia fell for that provocation, even if she was laughing to hide her annoyance.

"Indeed, I would like to avoid pointless conversations such as this one!" she half-joked.

The tension in the air was as heavy as a cloud of lead.

“Are... Are you the tutor I heard about? Miss Kirkland?” Mr. Ford asked Alice, possibly trying to light up the atmosphere.

“Oh, sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I’m Alice Kirkland.” Alice made a quick reverence.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you. I've only heard good things about you.” Mr. Elton took her hand and gave it a brief kiss, which made Amelia scowl immediately. Urgh. She was so immature.

"Miss Kirkland, are you enjoying the ball?" Miss Wellsmith checked.

This was a rare moment in which Alice was being the center of attention instead of Amelia. Too bad she couldn't be happy about that when Amelia was so grumpy at what was happening.

"Events like this are a little rowdy for my tastes," Alice answered as cordially as she could while still being honest.

"Indeed, but I like that kind of excitement," Miss Wellsmith replied. "Have you tried the wine yet?"

"No, I'd like to stay sober tonight."

After all, she would have to take care of Amelia.

"There's nothing more audacious than being the only sober at a party full of drunks," Miss Wellsmith philosophized.

Amelia took Alice’s hand and hold it tightly. Alice thought that was a bit odd and tried to communicate with her using their eyes but Amelia didn’t return her look.

“Miss Kirkland, Mr. Ford told me that you were hired just three months ago,” Miss Wellsmith continued to talk to her. "Why did you get hired? Lady Jones seems a bit old to need a tutor."

Luckily, Alice had already prepared an appropriate answer to this question weeks in advance.

“It's always good to perfect our knowledge. Lady Jones is just the sort of person that always tries to improve herself.”

"Oh, really?" Miss Wellsmith raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know Amelia had this side in her personality."

“Yes, indeed, she has! I just helped her not to push herself too hard. If it wasn't for my intervention, she'd be training around the clock non-stop!” Alice lied blatantly, using her best theatrical skills.

"I'm impressed." Mr. Elton said, looking at Amelia with new respect. "I never knew you were so diligent."

"Neither did I," Amelia replied slightly sarcastically. Alice elbowed her in the hip, discreetly.

“I brought in my bag a drawing that Lady Jones made of me. Would you like to see it?” Alice offered _casually_.

"A portrait?" Mr. Ford smiled. “I thought you only knew how to paint still-life, Amelia. You really improved.”

"Portraits aren't that complicated." Miss Wellsmith clicked her tongue. "Unfortunately, I didn't bring mine to show."

Amelia just shrugged.

Alice didn't understand why Amelia was being so quiet at such a crucial time. It was rather annoying for Alice to have to take the reins of the situation and she was being forced to do so since Amelia was being lazier than a Sunday afternoon.

Alice took the drawing from her bag and looked at it for a moment before showing it to the rest of the group.

It was a lovely piece. Amelia had really done an impressive job. Alice looked a lot prettier in this portrait than in real life. There was something about the way her eyes and mouth were accentuated, in the elegance of her silhouette, that made her look like a true model.

"That's a good portrait." Miss Wellsmith had to concede.

“You gave Miss Kirkland an impressive charm! She has such an intriguing expression!” Mr. Ford praised.

Amelia seemed disinterested in those compliments and that was something new for Alice, since showing false modesty was hardly one of her skills.

"Alice has great expressions,” she simply said.

“There would be no point in having good expressions if they weren’t conveyed by a sensitive artist.” Alice had to interfere. “Miss Jones is just being modest. Just as she is modest about her fencing skills.”

"Fencing?” Miss Wellsmith’s interest seemed to be picked. "I hadn’t met another woman interested in fencing before."

"Do you know how to fence too?" Alice pretended to be learning about that fact just now. “What a fantastic coincidence! Why don't you two have a little duel just to test your skills?”

"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" Amelia asked deadpan. Alice felt like she was being mocked.

“Lady Jones! Always so cautious!” Alice chuckled, giving Amelia a quick look that she hoped that conveyed ‘please, collaborate with me here, you fool’."What do you say about us going outside for a friendly duel between women?"

"It would be fun," Mr. Ford turned cheerfully to his fiancee, who was much less excited about it but still willing to indulge him. Thus, it was established that the two ladies would have a duel.

The group and some guests went outside for the big battle. The swords were provided by Alice and she justified bringing two swords to a ball saying she was the type who liked to bring stuff just in case. Fortunately, people were either stupid enough to believe in her or polite enough to pretend they did.

Right before the duel started, Alice wished Amelia’s luck one last time.

"You can do it. I believe in you."

Amelia smiled tenderly.

“Thank you, Ali...”

"Miss Kirkland!" Miss Wellsmith called her with a radiant smile. “If Lady Jones wins this battle, I would like to have some classes with you! I feel like you are quite an instructor!”

"Don't give up before you even fight!" Alice gave a nervous laugh, a bit embarrassed. This woman had a natural charm and charisma to which she wasn’t completely immune.

Amelia grunted a little, tapping her foot.

"You're getting annoyed with everything today," Alice whispered to her, resentfully. “My loyalty is to you. Stop worrying about the idea that I will steal your fiancé or become an ally of your rival.”

“I’m not...!”

"Whenever you're ready, get in position, Lady Jones!” Miss Wellsmith announced.

Alice patted Amelia on the shoulder, encouraging her to move on. Amelia, in a bad mood, shook her head in displeasure and walked in heavy, truculent steps.

At this point, the guests had organized themselves in a circle around the two rivals, giving enough room for them to battle. A certain gentleman who also knew how to swordfight had been chosen as a referee. He informed the audience of the rules of the duel.

The energy that each swordswoman was emanating was completely different from each other. It was like the difference between heat and cold, with Amelia being the heat and Miss Wellsmith being the cold.

Then, the duel started.

Very quickly, Amelia took an offensive stance. She practically lunged at her opponent. Her movements were too impulsive, too hasty. Her opponent was being able to keep a good grip on the situation, even though she needed to act fast to defend herself. Miss Wellsmith's defenses were accurate and impeccable. Alice knew that Miss Wellsmith was just waiting for Amelia to waste her energy before she took the offensive stance.

Still, maybe Amelia could have had a chance at that duel if she didn't get distracted. However, inexplicably, in the heat of the battle, when she needed to focus the most, she did something that made Alice baffled and angry: she began to look her way.

What the hell was she doing?

Alice made a bunch of gestures to her, instructing her to look ahead and not be distracted. Sadly, it was too late. Noticing her opponent's distraction, Miss Wellsmith, in one sudden move, managed to disarm her and point the sword at her face.

Some people politely clapped for Miss Wellsmith. It was clearly just out of courtesy, they didn’t want to seem excited about the victory of Lady Jones’s rival. However, Miss Wellsmith didn’t mind that. She waved at the crowd with a big smile on her face.

Amelia simply threw the sword to the floor and went back inside without saying a word. Alice thought of following her, but just before she took her first step, she saw that Mr. Ford went after her and stopped.

She clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and stayed in place. She had to do what was best for Amelia.

She turned her gaze to Miss Wellsmith, who was in a similar situation. She looked hurt and angry, of course. Her fiancé went after his previous bride, after all. Visibly, she was jealous like Alice, although not jealous in the same way as Alice. Because Alice, despite feeling anger and sadness, directed these feelings to herself, not to Amelia.

Her wish was for Amelia to be happy and to have her dreams come true. Her feelings for her student were her own fault and she was aware of it. Unlike Miss Wellsmith, she didn't have a relationship with Amelia. They never made promises to each other. Therefore, she had no right to be upset with Amelia.

And yet, things are never so simple, are they? Even knowing all this so well, her heart ached like it was burning.

The minutes passed and all the guests gradually returned to the party. Passing by Alice and moving on. She was the only one who remained standing in the same place.

Until Miss Wellsmith approached her and gently touched her arm.

"Men, right?" She joked with a depreciative smile.

Alice shrugged. Men were the last thing on her mind, really.

"He's a coward," Miss Wellsmith revealed abruptly in a voice quiet enough for only Alice to hear. “He never wanted to marry Miss Jones. He just doesn't feel that way about her. His problem is that he lacks the courage to break off such a good arrangement. There were several times when he thought about canceling their engagement and changed his mind. I honestly barely believe he will do it this time. Despite accepting his invitation to come here, I know that nothing is certain between us.”

"Huh ..."

Alice wondered why Miss Wellsmith was confessing all those things to her. Maybe she felt, like Alice did, that they were living something similar.

"Now that she's demonstrating a bunch of new skills to him, it's possible he'll change his mind again." Miss Wellsmith sighed gravely. “Because he's a coward. Because he wants an excuse to be with Lady Jones other than the shameful fact that he can't disobey his family. Because a wife like me would certainly not be the ideal daughter-in-law.”

"That might be true but he still would be a fool to lose a formidable bride like you," Alice smiled consolingly.

Miss Wellsmith laughed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You certainly know how to be flattering, Miss Kirkland. Maybe if I get rejected tonight, I will have to go after you for comfort.”

There was enough of flirting in her tone, that Alice felt herself blush.

Just then, Amelia returned to outside the house, looking annoyed to find the two of them alone together.

“What are you doing, Alice? Everyone's back in! Come already!” she shouted.

Miss Wellsmith gave Alice a not-at-all-guilty smile.

"Ops, I guess I kept you too busy. I should be back in a few minutes too. Thank you for listening to me vent, Miss Kirkland."

“Why are you taking so long?!”

Still agitated by everything she'd heard, Alice ran to Amelia's side, almost tripping halfway. Amelia looked concerned at first but, quickly enough, returned to the bitter expression of a grounded child. She had a bad temper that night.

Back to the party, Alice realized that everyone, including Mr. Ford, was now dancing to an upbeat piano song played by one of the guests. Amelia would normally have joined them in a second. This night, strangely, she preferred to simply stay at Alice's side, watching the crowd from afar.

"How was your conversation with Mr. Ford?" Alice dared to ask after some time of silence.

"It was... nice," Amelia answered with a distant look. “He said he was impressed that I was working so hard on my interests and that I shouldn't be sad to lose the duel. He said he would like to talk to me later about how my classes went.”

Apparently, it was as Miss Wellsmith had said. Mr. Ford was probably looking for excuses to not cancel his engagement with Amelia. Alice began to press her hands together. She felt cold inside. There was a question rising in her throat that she could no longer hold, even if she didn't want to hear the answer to it ...

"Do you think he might give up getting engaged to Miss Wellsmith?"

"Why?" Amelia questioned immediately. "Are you interested in her?"

Alice's shock at this question was so great that she simply opened her mouth, unable to make a sound in response.

"You are interested in her!" Amelia concluded. She sounded like she was making an accusation.

Alice blinked fast. She could hardly believe such an absurd dialogue was happening!

"I'm not interested in all the women in this world!" She whispered angrily. "And even if I was interested, I hardly see how that would be a reason for you to be mad at me!"

They were conveniently interrupted by Miss Wellsmith's return.

"Lady Jones, Miss Kirkland, did I arrive at a bad time?"

"Yes!" Amelia huffed.

"No," Alice answered dryly.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I'm getting in the way. I will be brief. I'd like to make a request to Lady Jones." Miss Wellsmith went on unabashedly. “I heard you were practicing the piano with Miss Kirkland and I would be honored to hear you play something. Did you know that Mr. Ford is a big piano fan?”

Amelia looked puzzled and a bit suspicious of that request. Now, that was a twist. Her own rival was giving her a chance to show off her skills! Her eyes quickly alternated between the piano, Mr. Elton and Alice.

"Yes, she can play," Alice answered for her. "In fact, as her tutor, I'd be very happy to hear it."

Amelia was appalled by that answer, staring at Alice as if she'd just been slapped. Alice ignored her. In her opinion, Amelia was trying to catch too many rabbits in a single hunt. She wanted Alice's exclusive attention while she impressed Mr. Ford. She couldn’t have everything in life.

Miss Wellsmith, pleased with that answer, clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.

“Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen! Lady Amelia Fairfax Jones just told me she will play a song for us!”

The guests ceased their dance. Whispers were exchanged.

"Will you play for us, Miss Jones?" Mr. Ford asked excitedly. "That would be marvelous!"

"She'll play," Miss Wellsmith confirmed, looking deep into his eyes. "I hope you later tell me how you feel ... about her presentation."

Mr. Ford understood perfectly what she meant and withered in shame.

"Yes ..." he replied, lowering his eyes. "I will be able to give you an answer soon."

People walked away, leaving room for Amelia to walk to the piano. Some people made song suggestions while she sat down. Amelia didn't answer them. She looked nervous. Alice was nervous about her too.

Still... that was what Amelia wanted. She wanted to show off her skills and prove she was the best choice for Mr. Ford. With that in mind, Alice tried to convince herself that she had done her best for Amelia’s sake. However, it gradually became harder to believe this because Amelia kept staring at the piano, without playing a single note, and her face was soon covered by sweat.

Alice felt terribly upset for her and silently begged her to start playing something.

Amelia ended up playing the first five notes of the composition she had practiced for three months. They were perfect. A poignant start to a beautiful composition. Then, after it, she stopped abruptly, got up, and calmly stepped away from the instrument.

She went to Miss Wellsmith, who was still at Alice’s side, and earnestly requested:

"I didn't have a chance to entertain the guests, so please, play something for them in my place."

Amelia was being serious. Her expression revealed that she had completely given up playing and genuinely hoped that her rival would replace her.

Murmurs were spread among the guests, all in a tense wait for what would happen.

Miss Wellsmith was lost at first but quickly recomposed. She wasn’t the type to back down.

“I can do it,” she told Amelia.

Polite clapping echoed around the room as Amelia's substitute approached the piano.

Alice stared at Amelia, trying to figure out what was going on. Amelia said nothing, but took her hand and led her outside, while a new piece began to be played.

* * *

Outside the house, the night was quiet. The moon was bright and the night wind, invigorating. There was a smell of flowers and fresh grass in the air. That would be a lovely scene if things weren’t so messy underneath the surface. They kept walking until the sounds of the party sounded as loud as the crickets singing. When they got far enough, Amelia simply stopped and said nothing.

"What's happening with you today?" Alice asked, unsure if she should be worried or angry. “I really don't understand what is in your mind. Are you nervous? Are you jealous of Mr. Ford? I've never seen you behave this way before.”

Amelia remained silent, squeezing her hand a little harder and looking at the moon with an unreadable look. Pangs of despair began to hit Alice's heart.

"Say something!" she begged.

“... Not horses.” Amelia muttered.

...

"What?" Alice frowned. She had no idea what that phrase had to do with the subject at hand.

"I wasn’t thinking about horses!" Amelia repeated herself more clearly, turning to Alice with her eyes brighter than candles in the night and her nostrils wide open. Her face was red. “The thing that makes my heart race, consumes my thoughts every day and makes me try my best! It’s not horses!”

"Oh." Alice barely reacted. She only had a partial understanding of the situation.

“‘Oh’? Is that your reaction?” Amelia confronted her, looking deeply hurt.

"I apologize for my spontaneous reaction." Alice retorted sarcastically. She had enough of all the complaints Amelia was making that night.

"Aren't you going to give me an appropriate answer?" Amelia demanded insulted.

"I don't know what you mean by an appropriate answer!" Alice threw her hands up.

“Alice, why are you pretending to be that dense? I don't understand what you are doing!”

Those accusations left Alice completely agitated inside. She still didn't understand how all Amelia was saying related to her terrible behavior that night. There was a possibility she had in mind, but she was trying hard to ignore it. It couldn’t be it. She didn’t want to harbor false hopes.

"I don't understand what you are doing!" Alice shot back, unable to contain her own feelings anymore. “I did my best to be the best tutor possible! I also gave you all the support of a true friend! And yet, from the way you treated me today, you don't seem to think that's enough!”

“Well, I don’t!”

"What do you want from me, then?!"

"I want you!" Amelia shouted and stepped toward her and gripped her shoulders. “That’s it! I want you!” She repeated emphatically as if she herself was finally coming to terms with it. “Not as a friend, not as a tutor! I just want you!”

Alice was stunned. Her heartbeat was so loud that it was pounding in her ears. She continued to stare at Amelia, puzzled, having no idea of how to react.

"I... I know that I’m in love with you!" Amelia continued to speak, squeezing her shoulders a little more tightly. “I have known this for a long time..” Her voice broke ever so slightly and her lower lip started to tremble. “I was afraid... to change the plan I had made for my life since I was a child. I was afraid of the consequences of falling in love with another woman…”

Alice was about to comfort her and say that she didn’t need to force herself to abandon her original plan. She was about to promise that everything would be okay, even if it wouldn’t, because she couldn’t bear to see Amelia that hurt.

“And yet, I’m even more afraid…” Amelia sniffed, thick tears rolling down her cheeks. “I'm even more afraid of letting you go. I’m afraid of marrying Elton, getting you a house, continuing to be your friend for decades, and realizing years late that I'm still in love with you. I'm afraid of losing you to another girl! I'm so much more afraid of this than anything else!”

Amelia sobbed into her hands. She really was in love with Alice.

In love.

Amelia was in love with her.

And that was a fact. It wasn’t a presumption, a hope. It was an exposed and concrete fact.

Amelia loved her. She loved her. And oh, Alice loved her back. She certainly, definitely loved her back.

Now that she could admit it to herself, now that she had the freedom to use a word that described how she felt about that girl, she could say with absolute confidence that she loved her. She loved her with the vividness of spring, the heat of summer, the beauty of autumn, and the force of winter. She loved her so much more than poets can love her muses, so much more than heroes can love their maidens. Because her feelings were much more sincere and real than their fictional romances. She wasn’t perfect, Amelia wasn’t perfect and they didn’t need to be.

Alice instinctively brought one of her hands to Amelia's cheek, wiping away her tears. She felt for Amelia. She knew how scary it must be to carry those fears with her, to confront those feelings... And yet, she felt happy. Ridiculously happy.

"Why are you smiling like that?!" Amelia complained, looking a little embarrassed at Alice’s reaction to her confession.

"I’m sorry," she replied, still smiling. "I'm not belittling how you feel, believe me."

"You could have fooled me!" Amelia pouted, more tears rolling down her eyes.

"Amelia Fairfax Jones," Alice said in a soft voice, caressing her cheek. “Why are you pretending to be that dense?”

Amelia's eyes widened when she recognized those words.

“I love you, you fool. I would probably never have stayed in this tiresome job if I didn't love you so much.”

“You… do?”

“Terribly so. And I just want you to know that I intend to stay by your side, as long as you allow me.”

Amelia's face practically lit up when she said that.

"Do you really mean that?" She seemed to marvel at that promise. “Are you willing to face the consequences for me? Would you support my decision if I chose you?”

"I absolutely mean that."

Miss Jones pulled her into a hug so tight that Alice felt her ribs being crushed. She didn’t complain, though. She was feeling cozy and happy. Happy as she had never felt in her entire life.

"Ah, you are here." Mr. Ford's voice interrupted them abruptly. "I didn't know you were so... close."

Apparently, he had come to fetch them. Bloody hell, they should have walked further. They were too easy to find.

"Elton, what do you want now?" Amelia asked grumpily. Alice had to contain her urge to laugh. What a change in her attitude!

Mr. Ford, a natural coward, instinctively turned his attention to Alice when he noticed Amelia was in a bad mood.

“Um, Miss Kirkland, I wanted to talk to Miss Jones before I made an announcement to my guests today ...” he informed meekly.

Alice was about to leave when Amelia crossed her arm with hers, pinning her in place.

"There's nothing you have to tell me that Alice can't hear."

Given the decisive way Amelia stated this, Mr. Ford understood there was no space for debate.

"If that's what you want ..." he murmured with his hands in his pockets, shuffling his feet. “Listen, Amelia. I wanted to apologize. Somehow, I feel like you were trying to prove yourself tonight and I think that happened because I didn’t express my feelings properly in my letter. You know, I didn't choose Miss Wellsmith because she has more skills than you or because she has more interests than you. My reason for canceling our engagement was because I never felt that way about you. Even if you were the most talented person in the world, there is no guarantee that I would fall in love with you. When you love someone, you just know that, understand? That’s something I understood after I met Miss Wellsmith. I admire her talents but they are not the only thing that made me fall in love with her. I love her because of who she is. I hope you understand that. "

Amelia, who stayed quiet during all his speech, smiled at him with warmth when finished it.

"Don’t worry, I understand,” Amelia told him.

He seemed surprised by that reaction. Alice also was a bit amazed by it. She thought Amelia would be more resentful about it.

“Do... Do you?”

“To be honest, now that I’ve fallen for someone, I’m fairly certain I didn’t I love you either, Elton,” Amelia confessed with an amused smile. “You don’t need to force yourself to be with me. Our friendship will remain the same, even if we are no longer engaged.”

"Oh, Amelia ... You have no idea of how much I appreciate it, how much I value ..." He seemed about to cry with relief. Amelia patted his back and Alice smiled at them, approvingly.

In the end, it all got sorted out. Maybe not in the way they originally planned but probably much better.

After this conciliation, Mr. Ford said he would return to the party to announce his engagement. Right before he left, he asked Amelia:

“Should I expect an engagement from you soon? Since you’re in love?”

"Not at all.” Amelia shook her hand with an amused smile. "Don't expect an engagement."

This declaration made Mr. Ford concerned.

“Are your feelings one-sided? Is the gentleman avoiding the engagement? Do you need my help?”

“Don’t think too much about it. Alice will take care of me,” Amelia dismissed his worries, very nonchalantly. Alice felt her ears burning.

"I ... I will, indeed," Alice replied shyly, hugging her own body.

Something about Mr. Ford's knowing and kind smile, at hearing it, made Alice feel that he understood what was happening.

When he walked far enough, Amelia moved closer to Alice and took her hands, looking at her dreamily.

"You once told me that you would like to live in a house with a garden ... What more would you like her to have there?"

"You," Alice replied with a smirk.

"This is included, of course. What else do you want? How many rooms? What kind of decoration?”

Alice shook her head.

"You're thinking too far ahead."

“Well, what should I be thinking about now?”

“How about this?”

Alice stood in her tiptoes, hold her face, and kissed her softly on the lips. It felt warm and wonderful.

* * *

**History Article: The Ladies of Norshire**

The "Ladies of Norshire", Amelia Fairfax Jones and Alice Kirkland, were two noblewomen, whose relationship during the 18th century scandalized and fascinated their contemporaries.

After working for some time in the residence of the Jones family, as a hired tutor for Miss Jones, Miss Kirkland went on to live in a nearby house brought by Amelia Fairfax Jones, her rumored lover. Amelia Fairfax Jones visited the house often, spending most of her week there. After the death of her parents, she moved definitively to the mansion.

Miss Kirkland and Miss Jones never married and never had kids. They had a very close relationship, even for the standards of their time. Some of their correspondence contains lines like “I can’t wait to see you tonight and make you melt under my touches.” or “My beloved, I miss you so much. I wish I could hug you and kiss your soft lips and hear your sweet voice.”. Some contemporaries, like Mrs. Wellsmith-Ford, a friend of the pair, that often visited them, refer to them as a “couple”. A letter by Mr.Ford, Amelia Fairfax Jone’s, ex-fiance, even says in a letter to his wife, “I wish that she would contain herself while I’m visiting. She and Miss Kirkland are too noisy every night. Miss Kirkland seems to know that because she can barely look me in the eyes in the morning.”. For this reason, some historians believe that they might have had a romantic relationship, although most doubt that and believe that they were just very close friends since Miss Jones was engaged to a man once and Miss Kirkland, allegedly, once said to a friend, “I have no time for men.”, which suggests that she liked men and just had no time in her life for them.

We might never know the truth.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, readers!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this fic! It was a looooot of work but I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> I based the conclusion of the story in a real-life Victorian lesbian couple called "The Ladies of Llangollen" and I even copied the first sentence out of their page in Wikipedia, only changing the names.
> 
> Beatrice Wellsmith is 100% bi, btw. I just want you all to be aware of it. 
> 
> Also, pulling down your dress and getting semi-naked to fight was something that really was advised if you didn't want to die in a duel because clothes were super-dirty and getting stabbed while you were dressed increased your risk of infection. Here's an image of such duel, if you would like to see it: https://historycollection.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/duel.png
> 
> Also, Liszt's story? True story. Liszt was a ladies man until he became like, super-religious at the end of his life. 
> 
> If you enjoyed this story, PLEASE, leave a review and let me know that my hard work paid off! hjkhjk 
> 
> Take care and have a lovely day, guys!


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